Everything Happens For A Reason (One-shot for Saphireflames2013)
by bklue18
Summary: Everything in life happens for a reason. What happens when a perfect night turned out to be the night you might regret?


"Mara! Over here!"

She smiled as she crossed the street towards the cafe, where her best friend, April, was waiting for her.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" Mara said, sitting down next to her friend.  
"It's fine… I was catching up on some reading anyway…" April said

Mara nodded and looked at the food her friend ordered for her. Being best friends since they were practically babies, April had been like a sister to her. They both knew each other's likes and dislikes very well.

"Chocolate chip pancakes and a glass of orange juice." April said

Mara smiled and looked at April, "You know me so well!"

April smiled and started on her own plate of pancakes when loud laughing stopped the both of them from continuing their meal. Mara looked up to see a group of boys approaching the cafe entrance; shoving one another as they laughed.

"Great. Way to ruin my appetite." April said, "It's like they are everywhere."

Mara shrugged, "I don't think it's that bad."

April looked at Mara, about to rebut when she realized that Mara wasn't looking at her. Instead, she had her eyes focused on something else. April followed her line of sight and eventually found the target of Mara's gaze.

Randy Orton. The senior college wrestler and local bad-boy. His father was a WWE superstar who owned a ranch not far from town and rumour has it that he has slept with all the girls he's got his eye on.

Not wanting her friend to be the next victim, April lightly punched her best friend's arm; which did the trick and broke Mara's concentration.

"Ow!" Mara said, "What did you do that for?!"

"Stop staring at him! You know what Randy is famous for! I can't believe you're still harbouring this crush on him." April said

It wasn't too long ago that Mara admitted to April that she had been crushing on Randy for the longest time since high school.

"I can't help it, April! Maybe I'm just drawn to his bad boy personality." Mara said

"Whatever it is, you have to make this crush disappear." April said, "I don't want you to end up like the other girls."

Mara looked at April, "Well, you don't have to worry. That won't happen. He doesn't even know I exist."

April was about to add something to their conversation when she felt someone stand at her table. The two girls looked up and standing just in front of Mara was Randy Orton.

"Hi." He said

April and Mara both looked at each other with very different expressions on their face.

Mara turned to Randy and smiled, "Hi."

Randy grinned and said, "You're both students at MU?"

"Yeah. Back for the Summer…" Mara said  
"Sophomore?" Randy asked

Mara shook her head, "Nope… We're freshmen."

"Ah… New blood." Randy said

Mara chuckled and April looked at her friend as if she was insane.

Randy pulled out the chair and sat down opposite Mara.

"Sure, please sit down." April muttered inaudibly

Randy looked at the two of them and said, "You know… I think I've seen you both before."

"Yeah. We went to Hazelwood Central High." Mara said  
"You did?" Randy said

Mara nodded, "But you wouldn't remember us… We normally stayed in the background at school events."

"That's not true. I always remember a pretty face like yours." Randy said to Mara

Mara smiled shyly and tucked her stray hair behind her ear.

April's tolerance had hit its maximum level and she was about to tell Randy that he has overstayed his welcome when suddenly they heard someone call him. Randy turned around and acknowledged his friend before turning back to Mara.

"My dad's out of town with my mom so I'll be having the whole ranch to myself." Randy said, "And as they say, when the parents are away, the children come out to play. So I'll be having a party tonight at 8pm and I would be honored if the two of you graced my event."

"Oh no, we won't be-"  
"Yeah! Sure! We'll be there!"

April was on the track to declining Randy's invitation when Mara cut in to accept his invitation. Annoyed, April looked away while Mara and Randy continued with their good-byes.

"So, I'll see you two there then." Randy said

Mara smiled and nodded, "Yup."

Randy gave her one of his signature bad-boy smiles before leaving the table to join his friends. As soon as he was away from the table, Mara squealed in delight.

"Oh my gosh! _The_ Randy Orton just asked us to attend his party!" Mara said excitedly.

Mara started gushing about the whole situation they were in a couple of minutes ago and when she realized there wasn't any response, she looked at April.

"April! Did you hear what I said?" Mara asked

April looked at her, "Yes. Loud and clear."

Mara noticed April's expressionless face and knew that she wasn't in the same mood as her.

"What's wrong?" Mara asked  
"Everything. Why did you agree to go to his party?" April said  
"Well, we don't have anything on tonight and we haven't gone to our first college party." Mara said  
"For a very good reason!" April said

April pushed her plate away from her and said, "Because I don't want anything to happen to us! My mother said that college parties are not something that we should go to when we're freshmen!"

"April! Stop quoting your mother. We should live a little." Mara said

April looked at her best friend, "I can live a little. But not at a party with drunk and horny college kids."

Before Mara could say anything, April took out a 20-dollar bill and placed it on the table before picking up her story book and her satchel. Not even bothering to say good-bye to Mara, she walked off.

Mara sighed as she watched her best friend walk away. She knew that April had her best interests but Mara had been wanting to get noticed by Randy ever since she first saw him in the cafeteria. Now that he's noticed her, she sure wasn't going to give it up to pacify her friend. Knowing April, she would come around soon as long as Mara gave her some space.

* * *

It was coming to 7.30pm and Mara still haven't received a text or a call from April.

"She must be really pissed…" Mara said to her phone.

She put her Blackberry down as she turned to face her full-length mirror. Since this was the first college party she was going to, she wasn't exactly sure what she should wear. So, she decided to go with a simple floral printed, spaghetti strap sweetheart dress that had a slim bow which sweetly details the bodice of the knee-length dress. Seeing that it might get chilly, Mara added a yellow cardigan.

As she put on her Joan & David 'Cicilee' pumps, she drafted a text message to April.

'Hey, April. I know you're still pissed off with me but you know how having a crush is like right? I've always been in the shadows. It's nice to finally get noticed by someone I've been in love with since high school. I know you're probably not interested in going for the party but I really wish you would change your mind… I'm still going for it so if you change your mind, I'll see you there. But if you don't, please be excited and happy for me, 'kay? XOXO Mara'

Satisfied with her draft, Mara hit the 'send' button and popped her Blackberry into her white and pink Kate Spade Saturday half-circle satchel before picking up her car keys from her table.

* * *

Mara arrived at the Orton ranch in twenty minutes and parked her red Volkswagen Beetle among the other cars. She checked herself again in the rear-view mirror before taking in a deep breath and letting it out. Feeling confident, she opened her car door and stepped out into the cool, night breeze. Hearing the thumping bass coming from the house, she slung her bag around her as she locked her car and deposited the key into her bag.

Walking up towards the house, she could see why April wasn't too keen on coming for the party. Couples were making out outside the house while others were puking along the house. Some were already wasted and lying around.

As she entered through the door, she realized that she may have been dressed too appropriately for a college party. Everyone there dressed more provocatively with their dresses so short that it showed a bit of their butt and their tops so tight it provided cleavage.

Mara was looking around for Randy when she got cornered by a guy who had too much to drink.

"Aww… What's an innocent baby girl like you walking around here without any company?" He said

Mara tried to politely push him away but being of a bigger built than her, she wasn't able to get away from him. Just as he was about to lean in and force plant a kiss on her lips, someone pushed him off of her.

"Yo, Alex! Get yourself another girl."

Mara opened her eyes to see Randy standing in front of her.

He looked at her, "Are you okay?"

Mara nodded, "Y-Yeah… Just a little startled."

"Is this your first college party?" Randy asked  
"Yeah…" Mara shyly replied

Randy chuckled and took her hand, "Come on then."

He led her through the house and out the back door, where the music wasn't loud anymore. She thought they would just stay there but Randy continued walking towards a barn that was about a 5 minute walk away from the main house.

He opened the door for her and Mara entered. Randy entered the barn and closed the door behind him. He moved to the corner to flip a switch and the whole place lighted up.

Mara looked around in amazement. The whole interior of the barn had been turned into that of another house. There was a kitchen area at one corner, a living room and even a dining spot.

"This is incredible." Mara said  
"It is, huh?" Randy said

Mara nodded and looked at Randy, "Did you do this?"

"Well, my dad wanted to use the barn for storage and I thought I could turn it into another house for myself." Randy said  
"You're amazing. It really looks like another house." Mara said

Randy smiled, "Thanks."

"Can I take a tour on the second level?" Mara asked

"Sure." Randy replied, "After you."

Mara excitedly walked up the stairs leading to the second level and smiled seeing how beautifully decorated it was. A king-sized bed sat in the centre of the loft with a bookshelf and table lining the right and a huge window taking up the left. She took off her bag and sat it on a small armchair as she walked over to the window which had a view of a large field that Mara had walked pass earlier.

"That's where the horses run when my dad's training them." Randy said  
"Wow." Mara said

She turned around to look at him, "This is more than amazing. You're pretty talented with interior design."

"Nah. It's all through googling and using what the barn has." Randy said  
"Still makes you a talented interior designer." Mara said  
"But that's not my first love." Randy said

Mara nodded and said, "Wrestling is."

Randy looked at her, "How did you know?"

"Promise not to laugh, okay?" Mara said

Randy nodded and she continued, "I have a scrapbook of every article that was printed about you when you were on the high school wrestling team."

Randy smiled, "You do, huh?"

Mara nodded, "Yes. I've had a crush on you since I first saw you in the cafeteria in high school."

She looked at Randy who had a rather amused look on his face and she immediately covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh. I shouldn't have said that." Mara said

Randy chuckled, "No, no… I like that you told me that."

He reached over to remove the hands that were covering her face and smiled at the tinge of red colouring her cheeks.

"You're the first girl who's ever been in this barn." Randy said  
"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Mara said  
"No… You are." Randy said

Mara cocked her head to the side, "Why?"

"You're different from the other girls…" Randy said

Mara merely blushed even more and smiled shyly to herself. Randy took this as his cue and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. What started as an innocent kiss on the lips turned into a kiss full of want and desire when Mara kissed him back. The two of them started making out with heated desire, Randy's hand started to wander around her body. Driven by the heat of the moment, Randy hurriedly took off her cardigan and resumed kissing her until he realized what he was doing and stopped for a while.

When Randy stopped, Mara took it as her cue to think about what she was really doing. She walked a few steps away from him with her back turned. She knew what she was getting into. Randy wasn't the kind that was going to commit to one girl but seeing what happened between the two of them earlier… Maybe she had a chance to be his one and only.

At this point, Randy was facing the possibility of the night ending early but that changed when he saw Mara's hand go behind her back to pull on the zip. She turned back to face him just as her dress pooled at her feet. Randy quickly pulled off his shirt and trousers before the two of them collided in a heated kiss. Mara was so in the moment that she didn't notice Randy carry her up until she felt the soft material of bed sheets behind her back.

Randy pulled away from a kiss to look at her, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Mara said

As soon as she said that magical word, she knew that this was it and there was no turning back.

* * *

The next morning, Mara awoke to find herself being held close by someone. She turned to see a sleeping Randy and smiled to herself. She did it. She had sex with Randy Orton. The one person that she wanted to lose her virginity to. Just as she was thinking back on what happened between the both of them, Randy woke up.

"Morning." Mara said

Randy smiled groggily, "Morning…"

Mara looked at him, waiting for him to say something else but he looked as if he got hit by a truck.

"Who are you again?" Randy said

Mara blinked in disbelief as those words left his mouth. Did he just ask who she was?

"Stop playing around, Randy…" Mara said

But when she saw the confusion on Randy's face, she knew he wasn't playing. Mara mentally slapped herself for believing that everything that happened last night was a dream come true. She held back her tears as she hurriedly picked up her clothes to put them on.

"I'm sorry… Don't be like that… I can learn your name." Randy said

Mara zipped up her dress and put on her cardigan before cleaning away a stray tear. She mustered a smile and turned around to face him.

"It's okay. It's all part of college, right?" Mara said

Before Randy could reply, Mara picked up her bag and quickly walked down the stairs. As soon as she left the barn, Randy fell back into his pillows.

Randy knew very well who she was. Mara Blair. The girl he had set his sights on ever since he saw her. He had longed to tell her how he felt but he couldn't because of his impending step towards a wrestling career. He couldn't afford to be tied down especially when he knew that he would be traveling a lot once he debuted. Randy had gotten into the developmental program at WWE, thanks to his father; And they were planning to debut him on one of the shows pretty soon.

Randy covered his eyes with his hands. He didn't mean for things to end up like this. She'll probably hate his guts now seeing that he really lived up to the 'love them and leave them' motto that girls had built for him. He knew that he would have to make it up to her someday and explain his actions but till then, he can only hope and pray that she wouldn't completely bury the memory of their special moment together.

* * *

Mara arrived home in and parked her car in the garage. As soon as she killed the engine, she allowed herself to start crying. As much as she knew that this was bound to happen, Mara couldn't bring herself to remember that. All she could feel was her heart breaking again and again when Randy asked who she was. Mara was so into her crying that she completely ignored the few knocks that were made on the passenger side of her car.

The door opened and a slightly annoyed April climbed into the seat.

"Are you deaf or something cause I knocked-"

Mara stopped crying and looked up at April. Seeing the tears on her face completely stopped April from going on. She immediately reached over and pulled Mara in for a hug. Almost instantly, Mara continued crying, letting her emotions take over completely.

After a while, April managed to get Mara to stop crying and coax her out of the car. Mara sat at the kitchen island while April went to make her a cup of hot cocoa. Knowing that Mara likes marshmallows, April made it a point to put more marshmallows in her cup before putting it in front of her.

"Drink up." April said

Mara managed a small smile, "Thanks."

Mara took a sip of the hot cocoa before putting it back onto the island.

"Are you okay?" April asked  
"I guess?" Mara replied  
"You guess? What did that bastard do to you?" April said

Mara shook her head, "He didn't do anything… It was consensual."

April looked at Mara, "You had sex with Randy?!"

Mara nodded.

"Mara! I told you not to give into your crush on Randy!" April said  
"I didn't! We were talking and it seemed as if he was genuinely interested in me. I knew then that I actually am in love with Randy…" Mara said  
"In love with someone you barely spoke to?" April said

Mara sighed, "I know how crazy this sounds but that moment felt right."

"Then why are you crying?" April asked  
"Because… When he woke up, he asked me who I was." Mara replied

April looked at Mara in shock before saying, "Are you freaking serious right now? That douchebag said that?!"

"Yeah… But I can't blame him, right? I did know what I was getting myself into…" Mara said

April's hands flew up in anger, "Are you fucking kidding me right now, Mara?! You just gave up your virginity to some dickhead who doesn't even know your name! This is a new low even for him!"

"April… Let's just forget this happened, okay?" Mara said

April looked at her friend and she knew that she shouldn't push it any further. They were both considered adults already and if Mara knew what she was getting into, April shouldn't make her feel worse.

"Fine… We'll never mention him again, okay?" April said

Mara nodded, "Sounds good… It's weird hearing you cuss."

April laughed a little, "Yeah… But it makes me sound bad-ass."

Mara laughed and April smiled warmly, "There's the Mara I know. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and we'll go out to have a good lunch."

Mara nodded and the two girls headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Three weeks passed and Mara had tried to put the incident behind her. It was hard to not dwell on it when she was alone but April had made it slightly easier by being with her all the time.

"So? What should we do today?" April asked, sitting down next to Mara on the sofa.

Mara shrugged putting the magazine she was reading back onto the coffee table. April started humming as she thought of a place to go while she ate her cheez-it.

Just as April was popping one into her mouth, the smell hit Mara and she felt a sudden urge to throw up. She tried to hold it in but it didn't work. Immediately, Mara leapt up from the sofa and ran for the toilet in their apartment. Startled, April put her bowl of cheez-it down and hurried after Mara.

The door to the toilet was left ajar and April pushed it a little more open to check on Mara.

Kneeling in front of the toilet bowl, Mara started hurling like there was no tomorrow. April went into the toilet and held up Mara's hair for her as she emptied the contents of her stomach. When Mara was certain she wasn't going to throw up anymore, she felt for the flush button and pushed it as she sat back onto the floor.

April let her hair go and stood looking at Mara with concern.

"Are you okay?" April asked  
"Y-Yup.. Must have ate something wrong." Mara replied

April leaned against the bathroom sink, "This is the second time you've been hurling. Are you sure you don't want to see the doctor?"

Mara shook her head, "Nah… I'm fine."

April shrugged and was about to leave the bathroom when she caught sight of the calendar by the corner which helped mark the day their periods came. Suspicious, April went towards it and started scanning the calendar.

"Mar… When's the last time your period came?" April asked  
"What day is it today?" Mara asked  
"28th." April said

Mara thought for a while before saying, "My last date was the last week of last month."

April looked at Mara, "I think you better get checked up."

"Why?" Mara asked  
"I don't want to sound like a worry wart but this situation we have here doesn't sound good." April replied

Mara looked at April's worried expression and realized that one of her worst fears could be coming true. April sat down next to her and held one of her hands.

"Don't worry. I'll accompany you." April said

Mara nodded as the two of them sat in silence for a while; Thinking over the scenarios which would play out after their trip to the doctor.

* * *

"Congratulations Miss Blair. You're pregnant."

Mara stared at the doctor as the words left her mouth. April looked at Mara and knew that this wasn't the news that they had expected. They were both hoping that the puking and the late period was a result of too much stress.

"Miss Blair?"

Mara felt the world start spinning around her as she replayed the doctor's announcement in her head again and again.

April looked at Mara and lightly touched her arm, "Mar?"

Mara had no audible response but a lone tear slid down her cheek giving April a clear answer as to what was going on in Mara's head.

"Miss Blair… I know this must be hard for you seeing that you are just 18. But this isn't the end of the world. There are adoption programs that you can enter into and your child will have a good home."

The doctor sighed, "Of course there's also the option of an abortion…"

"No abortion. I'll keep the baby." Mara said

April looked at Mara, slightly taken aback, "Mar… Are you sure about this? Don't you wanna discuss this with your parents first?"

"No discussions." Mara said, "It's my choice. I'm keeping it."

The doctor gave a small smile and said, "That's good news. I'll set up appointments for your regular check-ups throughout the stages."

Mara nodded and stood up with April.

"Just remember. No stress, eat right and be happy. The first 3 months are the most crucial stages." The doctor said  
"I'll remember that, doc." Mara said  
"And I'll make sure she doesn't forget." April said

The doctor smiled and just as Mara was about to leave her office, the doctor spoke.

"Mara?" She said

Mara stopped and turned, "Yeah?"

"I know it's not really my business but you seem like a really sweet girl. And you're really brave for choosing to keep your baby. I think it's worth a shot if you went to find the father of your child. It would do the both of you good if he knew." The doctor said

Mara thought for a second before saying, "I'll try, doc. Thanks."

The doctor offered her another smile just as Mara and April both left her office.

* * *

The next day, Mara called her parents to tell them the unexpected news. At first, they were furious with her because of her inability to think of the consequences when she decided to do it with Randy. But later, their anger disappeared knowing that this is the only daughter they had and they should be helping her not pushing her away. They respected her decision to keep the baby and agreed to take care of her child once she gives birth so that she can concentrate on her studies. They did, however, urge her to find Randy and tell him about the child.

Mara ended the phone call with a tearful 'I love you', grateful and ashamed for having such great parents.

She cleaned her tears away when April ran out of her room, placing her MacBook on the cushion that was on Mara's lap.

"You have to look at this." April said  
"You found Randy's contact?" Mara asked  
"Sort of." April said

She opened the webpage she had been looking at earlier and pointed at the headline.

"Look!" April exclaimed

Mara looked at the headline and her eyes widened. In black and bold lettering, the headline read, 'NEWEST WWE SUPERSTAR, RANDY ORTON, DEBUTS.'

"So, I kinda found him!" April exclaimed  
"Wait… I don't understand… Isn't he in his final year of college?" Mara asked  
"No… He actually dropped out a week before we met him." April said, "His father had apparently gotten him a contract with the WWE."

Mara frowned.

April looked at her, "Why are you frowning? We found him! You should be at least a little happy!"

"I know… But this just makes everything more difficult." Mara said  
"What do you mean?" April said  
"He isn't just a college student anymore… He's a WWE superstar. He's like a celebrity now." Mara said

"So?" April said, "He knocked you up. He should be responsible for you even if he is the President of the United States."

Mara shook her head, "I don't know, April…"

"No procrastinating. We are going to find him and talk to him." April said  
"How?" Mara said

"I got us both tickets to a house show that's coming to town next week." April said, "We're going to get him cornered even if I have to scratch my way through to him."

Mara lightly touched April's arm, "I think we'll just try to get his attention first and keep that as a back-up plan, 'kay?"

* * *

The following Saturday was the day of the WWE house show. Mara was nervous about going to the event since it's been almost a month since the incident that happened. She wasn't sure if she was ready to meet him after all this time but for the sake of her child, she had to.

April knocked on Mara's room door and opened it, "You ready?"

Mara looked at her friend before looking back down at the ground. April hurried over and sat next to her.

"What's wrong?" April asked  
"What if he refuses to acknowledge it?" Mara said

"Then I'll whip his ass and spread word that he is the world's biggest jackass." April said, "Let's see if his career will take flight after that."

Mara chuckled a little before looking at April, "I'm serious."

"Well… If that really happens, then screw him. You've got me and my parents and your parents who are here for you." April said

Mara gave April a small smile before engulfing her in a hug, "Thank you."

After a few more minutes of getting ready, the two girls headed out of their apartment and went to town for the house show. As they approached the arena, they realized just how hard it would be to get through to Randy. There were fans lining up to head into the arena and there were several tour groupies standing outside the back stage area, hoping that a wrestler might pick them up for a one-night stand.

April parked the car and the two of them got out. They both looked at the arena and suddenly, all Mara could feel was anxiousness. She was about to open the car door and get in when the doors locked.

"No, Mar." April said, "We're going in."

Mara reluctantly nodded and as they locked arms, April led her into the arena.

They made their way towards the ringside where their seats were located and sat down. Nerves got the better of Mara as the music hit for the first wrestler to come out. She held onto April's hand as she awaited the arrival of Randy. Mara was beginning to get exhausted from all the waiting when it was finally time for the main event. The announcer called out the competitor before introducing the newest addition to the WWE roster.

Randy Orton.

Mara stood up from her seat to get a look at him as he made his way down the ramp. Everything about him had looked somewhat different except for one thing. Despite the physical changes, Randy still had that same bad-boy look that captured Mara's heart. He made his way into the ring and glared at his competitor pompously before taking a look at the crowd.

Mara tried her best to blend in with the crowd but Randy caught sight of her. The both of them looked at each other just for a second until Randy looked away and went back to pose for the crowd. The match began and seeing Randy so fluid in the ring made Mara smile a little. She remembered the determination he had on his face, back in high school during his matches and she could see it here too. The match finally came to an end when Randy pinned his competitor. He smugly stood up and some people booed him while others cheered.

He looked at Mara again, this time slightly longer. He was about to go over and talk to her, since the house show had ended, but as he did, Mara whispered to April and the two of them got up to leave. Wanting to catch up with her, Randy hurried to the back to put on a t-shirt and sweat pants before running out the back area to the front in hopes of catching Mara.

He spotted her getting into the car with April and hurriedly ran up to her.

"Uh, Mar… I think he does remember you…" April said

Mara turned around just as Randy approached.

"Hey." He said

Mara gave him a tight smile, "Hey…"

"I was going to talk to you just now in the arena but you left…" Randy said  
"Yeah… I have school tomorrow." Mara said

Randy looked at April who was making him feel a little uncomfortable with the glare she was giving him and looked back at Mara.

"Is it okay if I talked to you in private for a while, Mara?" Randy said

Upon hearing her name, Mara stepped back a little. She thought Randy completely didn't know who she was but it turns out he did know.

She looked at April, who gave her a nod and said, "Sure."

Mara and Randy walked towards a small area not too far from the car and stood there to begin their conversation.

"So… I need to tell you something." Mara and Randy said at the same time.

Randy chuckled, "Okay, you first."

"I think it's better if you go first… Mine is pretty big news." Mara said  
"I think mine is too… Why don't you go first?" Randy said

Mara took in a breath and let it out, "Okay, here goes."

She thought of how to phrase it so that it wouldn't come out as a big blow but as she thought about it, no matter how she phrased it, it was going to be a big blow.

She looked at Randy, "I'm pregnant."

Randy laughed a little thinking it was a joke but seeing the seriousness in Mara's expression, he instantly stopped.

He stepped back from her as he tried to wrap his head around the situation.

"Can you please say something?" Mara said

Randy looked at her, "I-I-I don't know what to say. We only spent one night together."

"Without protection." Mara said  
"Are you sure it's mine?" Randy asked

Mara looked at him, feeling insulted, "Are you saying that I sleep around?! For your information, you are and have been the only guy I've slept with."

"It's not possible… I-"

Mara shoved him and glared at him, "You know what?! This was a mistake! I shouldn't have been so dumb. I thought you were not what everyone said you were. But, I'm dead wrong."

She continued, "Maybe it's better off that our kid doesn't have a father like you."

He watched as Mara turned and got back into the car. It wasn't long until April got out of the car.

"You! You fucking son of a bitch!" April exclaimed

Randy was about to say something when April cut him off.

"No! You don't get to say anything! You're a fucking jackass! It's fine if you don't want to take responsibility for the kid but assuming that Mara is a loose woman?! That is fucking low! She has never had a boyfriend in her life because of you." April said

"Wha-What are you saying?" Randy said

April let out an exasperated sigh, "She kept herself for you, you douchebag!"

Not giving time to Randy to think, April glared at him, "You're a fucking bastard. The biggest mistake that Mara has ever made was falling for you."

She walked back to the car and turned around, "I hope you have a fucking successful career knowing that you ruined another person's life because of your inability to be responsible."

April got into her car and immediately sped off, leaving Randy where he was before. He wanted so badly to hold her and tell her he would be more than happy to take responsibility but he couldn't. Not when he could very well tarnish her reputation when the media hears about it. He had to feign ignorance to protect her.

* * *

Being pregnant during her study in university was tough. People kept giving her looks but all Mara could think of was to study hard and get a good job to raise her daughter. Seeing Randy on TV wasn't helping but April had tried to switch it off whenever an advertisement regarding the WWE came on.

When she finally gave birth to her baby, it was during the Summer vacations. She had enough time to stay at her parent's house to rest while spending sometime with her baby, who she named Grace. Her parents and her came to an agreement that they would help raise Grace for the next three years until she graduated.

9 years on, Mara's life turned a little better. She had a nice home in downtown New York where she lived with her 9 year-old daughter Grace and a stable job as a curator for the Natural History Museum. April moved to Washington D.C to become a journalist for The Washington Post and had regularly visited Mara, maintaining their friendship. Mara had also been seeing an accountant who worked at Wall Street who regularly visited the museum just to catch her eye.

* * *

"Grace honey? Have you got your stuff packed?" Mara asked  
"Yeah…" Grace said, coming down the stairs.

She held a large scrapbook under her arm as she walked over to her mother, who was getting ready by the dining room table.

"Mom… What's this?" Grace asked, putting the scrapbook down onto the table.

Mara looked at the scrapbook and instantly regretted not hiding it properly. Over the years, her parents had prepared a scrapbook for Grace and when she turned 18, they were going to give it to her as a gift. In it were pictures and news on Randy over the years. They knew that Mara didn't want Grace to know who her father was but her parents knew that it was just her trying to be tough. They gave her the book last year when they came over to visit but she didn't hide it properly.

"That's… That's some big news." Mara said

Grace sat down on a chair, "I thought it was."

"Before we go into this, you need to know that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. And if I had to go through with it, I would do it in a heartbeat." Mara said

Grace nodded, "I know, mom. I may be young but I know how much you love me."

Mara smiled and touched the side of her daughter's face before opening the scrapbook.

"This was supposed to be a gift from your grandparents when you turned 18." Mara said, "It's pictures and news articles about your father."

Grace peered into the book, "My dad's a wrestler?"

Mara nodded, "Yeah… But… He chose his career over us so I don't think you'll see him unless we go to one of his shows."

Mara closed the book and Grace asked, "Can we go to one of his shows then?"

"We'll see, okay?" Mara said

Grace nodded and pulled the scrapbook close to her, "Can I have this now?"

"Sure. I'll just let grandma know that she and grandpa's got to do some brainstorming for a new present." Mara said

Grace chuckled and stood up from the chair, "I'll just go put this in my room first."

Mara smiled at her daughter and felt as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. It felt slightly better to tell her daughter who her father was even if the story was a little altered.

* * *

"Parker, I don't think I can seriously lie to her when she starts to wonder if my story is really the truth." Mara said, as she got out of his car.  
"She will if you don't let her go to the show." Parker said  
"But if I don't let her go, she won't ever see him." Mara said  
"Order the next pay-per-view." Parker said  
"That's a bit unfair to her, isn't it?" Mara asked

Parker stopped at the stairs leading up to Mara's front door, "It wasn't fair to you either."

Mara sighed and just as she was about to take out her keys, a car door slammed and she turned. The person gave her a small smile and she immediately turned back around.

"He found you." Parker said, "You want me to chase him away?"

"I'm fine. Just let me have a minute." Mara said, handing Parker her house keys.

Parker nodded and walked up towards the door, eyeing Randy as he entered. As soon as he got into the house, Randy crossed the road and walked up to her.

"Hey." Randy said

Mara glared at him, "Don't 'hey' me. What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I got your address from your parents…" Randy said

He looked at her, "I really need to talk to you."

"No. Now is not a good time. The last thing I need is for my daughter to see me out here talking to you." Mara said  
"You told her about me?" Randy asked  
"Not the point, Randy." Mara replied

"Okay, I get that." Randy said, "You've moved on. And I'm trying too. But in order for me to do that, I really need to talk to you."

Mara looked at Randy and sighed, "Fine. Meet me at Central Park in an hour."

Randy nodded and watched as she ascended the steps into her house before he left for Central Park.

* * *

Randy sat at a bench, waiting for Mara to arrive. When he spotted her walking up to him, he got up.

"I told Parker to take Grace out to a movie." Mara said  
"Grace is her name?" Randy said  
"Yeah. And Parker's my boyfriend. They'll be gone for a while… So.." Mara said  
"So… How are things?" Randy asked

Mara looked at him, unable to contain the anger that was slowly rising within her thanks to that question.

"You know what? I can't do this." Mara said

She turned around, ready to walk when Randy stopped her.

"Wait, Mara. Can't do what?" Randy asked

Mara turned back around, "This! I can't do this! I can't stand here and pretend like you didn't do me any damage. I can't stand here thinking that something good would happen out of meeting you again."

She looked at Randy, "9 years, Randy! It's been 9 years! And you suddenly decide to make an appearance. You made it really clear that night that you had nothing to do with Grace and it's impossible that she's yours. So why are you here?"

"I love you." Randy said, "I have ever since I saw you in high school. I should have told you on the night that we spent together but I was afraid of losing everything."

He continued, "When I told you I didn't know who you were… I was lying. I knew who you were from the moment I spoke to you. But I pretended not to know who you were because I was selfish. I didn't want to be tied down. But, when I saw you at the house show, I knew that it was time to tell you the truth."

He put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, "I was going to ask for a chance to start over but when you told me you were pregnant… I was surprised."

"Surprised enough to think that I was a slut?" Mara said  
"No. I wasn't thinking that. I wanted to tell you that I was going to take responsibility but I couldn't." Randy said

Mara stepped back in slight disgust, "Couldn't because I would destroy your career?"

"No! Absolutely not! I just didn't want the media spinning tales about you. I wanted to protect you." Randy said

Mara looked at him incredulously, "Am I supposed to be thankful? I had to lie to myself and lie to Grace about you. I had to pretend that I wanted nothing to do with you when I know that saying that is like trying to brainwash myself into forgetting you."

"I know that it's unfair to you and unfair to Grace… But I thought by doing all that, you would be able to have a better life and find someone who deserves you more than me." Randy said

"Screw you, Randy." Mara said

Mara was about to walk off again when Randy said, "Wait…"

She turned back around, "You know what? First of all, you have no right to decide who deserves me. It's my choice and I get to do the deciding. And second of all, you know what is not fair? This. Begging for me to hear you out and telling me all these which could have saved me all the pain and anguish I've gone through."

She looked at him, "What good does it do me now, Randy? Did you think it was going to erase everything I've felt for the past 9 years about you?"

"I'm sorry, Mara. But I'm not trying to make you hate me more. I just want to fix things with you." Randy said

"Okay." Mara said, "But you can't fix things with me, Randy. Because we're broken."

Randy looked at her, loss for words and she continued, "We're always going to be broken."

Mara took a breath as she held back the tears that were threatening to leave her eyes.

"The person you should be fixing things with is Grace." Mara said  
"Grace? Why?" Randy asked  
"Because just yesterday, she learnt about you. And I told her that you gave up on us to focus on your career." Mara replied  
"So I'm supposed to fix the relationship with my daughter who just knew I existed yesterday based on the story you told her about me?" Randy said  
"Don't make me the bad person here, Randy. What was I supposed to tell her? That you didn't want her? Or at least pretended not to?" Mara said  
"Mara…" Randy said  
"You're not exactly the father she wanted to have." Mara said

She looked at him, "But I guess we both didn't have a choice."

Not giving Randy another chance to stop her, she hurriedly walked away and hoped that Randy wouldn't catch up with her.

* * *

Mara arrived back home and as soon as she closed her front door, she slid to the floor and started to cry. As she did, her phone started to ring. Mara ignored it as she felt all the feelings she had locked and kept in the far corners of her heart start to surface. The more the memories she had of them at his barn house start flooding her mind, the more she cried.

She hated herself for giving into her emotions. The years she spent building the exterior she thought she wanted was going to waste as it cracked with every memory that surfaced. Mara knew that it seemed impossible to get back with Randy when they have never even been together in the beginning. They were broken even before they started. She wanted so much to kiss him and hug him but she wasn't ready for a path she hasn't taken before. Mara had everything she ever wanted in her life. Parker was good to her and she loved him but a part of her knew that this was all a lie she had created.

Everything would fall apart soon if she didn't admit the truth.

Parker had gone for dinner with Grace while Mara sat at home, not feeling in the mood to eat after what happened earlier in the day. To make things slightly worse, she heard the voice message her mother left about Randy. Mara tried to block it all out as she switched on the television. Mara continued switching channels until the local news caught her eye.

"Earlier this evening, a fire broke out in the new home of WWE superstar, Randy Orton. Mr Orton has been reported to be inside the house when the fire started. The entire first floor of the house has been badly damaged, leaving the second floor with minimal damage. No word on how the fire began but Mr Orton is said to have suffered a mild concussion and a broken arm due to the fire."

Mara watched in horror as a video clip of Randy being brought out of his home made her heart sink. She hurriedly got up from the couch and picked up her bag as she rushed out of the house to the hospital where Randy was at. On her way there, she texted Parker to bring Grace along to the hospital.

* * *

Mara arrived at the hospital and hurried over to the front desk to ask for information regarding Randy's room number. They were reluctant at first in giving his information away, seeing that he was a celebrity of sort. But, seeing the desperate look on Mara's face was pretty clear to the nurses that she wasn't just a fan.

With the information stored in her head, Mara took the lift up to the 8th storey where Randy was situated. She walked down the corridor until she finally saw the number 810. Standing outside the door, Mara could see Randy lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

Mara slowly and quietly opened the door as she walked into his room. She moved towards him slowly and stood for a while by his bedside. Randy had a tube thing around his face, which Mara could only assume was providing him with oxygen. Seeing him sound asleep and not as injured as she had expected made Mara relax a little. There wasn't any major injuries on Randy except for his left arm which was in a cast.

Mara stood closer to Randy's bed as she slowly lifted her hand to lightly poke Randy's right hand a couple of times. On the third poke, Randy stirred and he slowly opened his eyes to see Mara standing there.

He let out a slight laugh from being surprised before saying, "Hi."

Mara smiled, "Hi."

Slightly irritated with the tubes around his face, Randy took it off slowly.

"Word on the street is that you're going to be okay." Mara said  
"Yeah… So I've heard…" Randy said  
"Well… Grace is on her way here…" Mara said  
"Ah." Randy said  
"Parker brought her out for dinner and I texted him to bring her here when I heard the news." Mara said

Randy nodded and the two of them shared a silent moment before Mara spoke.

"You know… When I heard that you were in your house when the fire broke out… I would never want what I said in that park to be the last thing I said to you…" Mara said, "Grace is lucky to have a father like you."

She continued, "My mom told me how she had caught you sneaking around outside the house just to get a glimpse of Grace..."

"Whether or not we should or shouldn't be together has nothing to do with what kind of a father you are. Grace is lucky to have you and there is no one else I could think of that would be a perfect fit." Mara said

She reached over to hold his right hand, "You should know that."

Randy looked at her, "I lost everything."

"Yeah, well… The news said that the first floor is badly damaged but the second floor sustained minimal damage-"

Randy cut her off, "I didn't just lose the first floor of my house… I lost you."

Mara's face softened as the words rang loud in her head.

"I just want to know that you don't hate me." Randy said, "What I said in the park wasn't fair. It was selfish. And I don't want to be selfish anymore."

Mara looked at him, "I don't… Hate you… I could never hate you."

The two of them looked at each other for a while, offering a small smile to one another.

"I'm going to let you get some rest." Mara said

Randy's hold on her hand tightened a little before he slowly let the grip go. Mara gave him another small smile before slowly making her way to the door of his ward. Before she closed the door behind her, Randy stopped her.

"Hey Mara…" Randy said

She opened the door a little wider to look at him.

"Things would have been different." Randy said  
"What?" Mara said

"If I hadn't decided to be 'noble'…" Randy said, "Things would have been different, right?"

Mara contemplated that thought before saying, "Get some rest."

Wanting to leave it at that, with her right hand, Mara pulled the door handle to close the door. Seeing the chairs outside the ward located 2 rooms down, Mara walked towards it and sat down.

She thought about what Randy had asked her when she left. He was right. If he hadn't decided to lie to her that day, things would have turned out differently. Be it bad or good, Mara wasn't sure. But, what she did know now was that she didn't want her life to go back the same way. When she heard that Randy was in the fire, she was afraid that she would lose him forever. She had been confused about the way she felt towards him but after that talk with him in his ward, everything seemed to be clear.

"Mom!"

Mara looked to her left and saw Grace approach her with Parker behind her.

"Hey, you." Mara said  
"Is dad alright?" Grace asked  
"Yeah… He's alright. He just got a mild concussion and a broken arm…" Mara replied

Mara looked at Grace, "Wait… How did you know?"

"Parker didn't leave out the parts you wanted him to leave out." Grace said

She held Mara's hand, "He's my dad. I couldn't be angry with him even if he didn't believe I was his daughter."

"You knew?" Mara said  
"Mom, I'm turning 10 tomorrow. Kids my age may be young but I'm a lot smarter than the rest of them." Grace said, "I could tell it was something else when I asked if I could go to one of his shows."

Mara merely smiled at her daughter as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"So you don't hate him?" Mara asked

"Nah." Grace said, "He's back now, right? I don't even know him so how can I hate him?"

Mara smiled at her, proud that she raised a very knowledgable and mature daughter.

"Can I go in to see him?" Grace asked  
"Yeah… But, you'd have to introduce yourself before that." Mara replied  
"I don't think it'll be necessary…" Grace said

She grinned at her mother before she headed over to the ward where Randy was at, leaving Parker and Mara together. Seeing Grace enter the ward and closing the door behind her, Parker sat down next to Mara.

"So… He's okay?" Parker asked  
"Yeah… He's good." Mara replied

"I heard how worried you were about him…" Parker said, "You never quite stopped loving him, didn't you?"

Mara looked at Parker, who continued, "I can tell when I've already lost a battle. Especially when I knew I was already on the losing side when I started."

"What are you talking about?" Mara said  
"You and Randy. I knew the two of you still had something going on. Even when you said you were moving on." Parker said  
"Parker…" Mara said

He shook his head and lightly touched her hand, "I understand. If it was me, I would try as hard as I could to make the relationship work if the spark was still there."

He held her hand in his, "I'm officially accepting defeat. Just remember that I'll always love you even though we're not together, okay?"

Mara looked at Parker and he merely gave her a smile before leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"I'll see you around." Parker said

With that, he stood up and gave Mara's hand a final kiss before walking away from her to leave the hospital. She knew that her heart had always belonged to Randy but she never admitted to it until now. She loved Parker, yes. But, she knew that she could never love him the same way she does for Randy. Knowing that Parker would find a girl who deserved him more than she, Mara smiled to herself as she stood up from the chair and walked towards Randy's ward.

* * *

Mara played with her daughter's hair as she waited for her name to be called. After a month of getting to know each other all over again and getting married in Las Vegas, Mara had decided to add Randy's name to Grace's birth certificate to make him the legal father.

Randy looked at Mara and squeezed her right hand in his, "Are you nervous?"

Mara chuckled, "No… Why would I be nervous?"

"It's going to be official." Randy said  
"Yeah… And it should have been official a long time ago." Mara said

She looked at him, "Are you nervous?"

Randy sighed, "Well, yeah. I keep thinking that something bad will happen and everything that happened between us in the past month was going to disappear."

"I'm married to you now, aren't I?" Mara said, "Nothing's going to happen."

Just as Randy was about to say something, a woman in her mid-forties came out.

"The judge will see you now."

Mara, Grace and Randy stood up, each holding one of Grace's hands. She looked at the both of them and smiled just as she pulled them into see the judge.

He looked at them and began.

"Today, we come together on the most special of days." He said, "Today is a day which you will look back on and cherish."

He looked at Randy, "Your journey to get here hasn't been easy… The road has been long and winding."

"The path hard to see at times, impossible even." He said, "But now, you stand here before me, ready to make an everlasting commitment to yourselves and to each other."

He continued, "This is a day you'll celebrate. It's a day that has been a long time coming. Years in the making."

The judge crossed his hands in front of him on the table.

"I've been doing this for a long time." He said, "I've seen a lot of heartache and disappointment because prayers are rarely answered. And usually, dreams remain dreams."

He smiled at Grace, "But today… Your dream becomes a reality. The state of New York finds it in the best interest of Grace Blair to have the biological rights of her father reinstated."

"The sole custody of Grace Blair will now be changed to a joint custody between her biological parents, Mara Blair and Randy Orton." He said, "Congratulations to you all."

He smiled at the three of them, "You're a family."

Grace smiled happily as she got sandwiched in a hug from Randy and Mara. Everyone in the room smiled watching the happy scene before them. To their surprise, April appeared.

"What are you doing here?" Mara asked, surprised  
"You wouldn't think I'd miss this, did you?" April said  
"Aunt April!" Grace said

April smiled as she gave Grace a hug, "Heya, pretty."

"Hi April." Randy said

April gave him a nod, "Randy."

Mara laughed, "You two still hate each other?"

"Until he's paid his dues, yes." April said, "But for today, I'll try to bear with him."

Mara chuckled and April smiled as she pulled out a polaroid camera.

"Okay… Let's take a happy family picture, yeah?" She said

Huddled close together, Randy held onto Mara's hand behind Grace and closed into Grace for the picture.

"Smile!" April said, just as the flash went off.

The picture came out from the bottom of the camera and Grace went over to April.

She handed her the picture, "So you'll never forget this day."

Grace smiled, "Thank you for coming, Aunt April."

April smiled and hugged Grace, "I wouldn't miss this special moment for anything in the world, pretty."

* * *

The three of them returned home after lunch with April and Randy took out a bottle of champagne.

"Please don't tell anyone that this is the first thing I did as a father." Randy said, popping the bottle of champagne, "Especially April."

Mara chuckled and looked at Randy, "You're not going to give that to my 10-year old daughter, are you?"

"OUR 10-year old daughter and no. I'm not teaching her to drink champagne this early." Randy said

Mara and Grace both laughed as Mara poured orange juice into Grace's cup while Randy poured champagne into the wine glasses for them both.

"A toast to being stupid and getting a second chance at something good." Randy said  
"And to fires that make you realize what you could have lost." Mara said  
"And to finally having a father I've always wanted." Grace said

Mara and Randy both smiled at Grace as she lifted her glass in the air.

"To the three of us." Mara said

They put their glasses together in a clink.

"To family." Grace said, looking at the both of them.

Randy and Mara looked at each other, "To family."

* * *

**3 years later**

"Well, as this is our final induction of the night… I'm sure there isn't much introduction to be said on who our next presenter will be."

Randy's father, Robert Orton smiled as he continued, "Ladies and Gentlemen, my beloved granddaughter Grace and my daughter-in-law, Mara!"

Holding a piece of paper in her hand and the other holding her mother's hand, Grace walked to the podium with Mara trailing behind her as the Hall of Fame music played.

Grace stood at the podium with Mara beside her and unfolded the paper a little afraid.

"I never really knew my father when I was growing up." Grace said, "I had always been told that he was busy with his career and that he left because his career was more important."

She continued, "I learnt, of course, as all of you did eventually; that my father, Randy Orton, is a selfless man who put others before himself no matter how much it would affect him."

Grace looked at Mara, who continued on her part, "Randy is also a passionate guy. Be it in the bedroom or in the ring."

Mara looked at the crowd with a smile as everyone laughed a little.

"Whatever he does, he does it because he loved every minute of what he was doing." Mara said, "Wrestling and entertaining a crowd had always been what he loved doing and it is only fitting that he belonged in the Hall of Fame alongside his father."

"So ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the viper, my father, Randy Orton!" Grace exclaimed

Mara and Grace both stepped away from the podium as Randy's music hit. The crowd went crazy and started chanting Randy's name. His colleagues in the audience all stood up as Randy came out from the curtains. He stood at one corner, soaking up the moment before he did his legendary pose. He turned to look at Mara and Grace who were standing by the side and went up to them. He gave Grace a kiss on the cheek before giving Mara a kiss on the lips.

"Go get 'em, viper." Mara said

Randy smiled and planted another kiss on her lips before walking to the podium.

As he made his speech, everything became clear to Mara. She and Randy had belonged with each other since the day they met. Everything that happened between them had seemed to be a test on how much they were willing to sacrifice for one another. Things would have turned out differently if she had turned him down when he wanted to talk, 3 years ago.

Mara smiled as she watched Randy make his speech. She lightly squeezed her daughter's hand as she mentally reminded herself that this was all real.

If anyone asked her if she'd do it again with the same amount of heartaches to go through, Mara's answer would be quick and simple.

She would do it all again, in a heartbeat.

**THE END**


End file.
